Bob Dylan’s Nobel prize is a culturally revealing moment, not only about the miserable state of modern literature but the even-more-miserable state of modern music criticism. Let’s get this straight: Dylan can’t sing and can’t play. The musicians who did most to disguise these facts, the Band, were likewise uninspired players; their principle virtue was that they understood their limitations (thus their intentionally modest name) and worked within them.
And the best versions of Dylan’s tunes are those recorded by other artists. Take one example of many: “All Along the Watchtower.” From bar bands to Jimi Hendrix, there is an almost infinite number of variations, but comparing them to Dylan is like comparing a blank canvas to a Caravaggio. Listen to Hendrix and then the Dylan original. You’ll have no doubt which of them was the true laureate.
